College Admissions Ask Me Anything

I recently hosted Top Tier Admissions’ “Ask Me Anything” webinar, where we dove deep into the importance of having a solid early admissions strategy and all the perks that come with it. It was an open floor, where parents and students could literally ask me anything about the college admissions process.

As the former Assistant Director of Admissions at Dartmouth and co-founder and CXO of TTA for over twenty years, I’ve seen it all, and the questions did not disappoint. We covered everything from test-optional schools to why having an academic focus matters (more than ever).

Let’s break down the key takeaways:

RISING GRADE INFLATION & INCREASED NUMBERS OF APPLICANTS

With grade inflation on the rise and the number of applicants at top colleges skyrocketing, I talked about why it’s so critical—especially for students without “hooks”—to take advantage of Early Decision (ED). It’s wild to look at the stats: Most top colleges fill between 45-67% of their class in the ED round, while 10-15 times the number of applicants compete in the regular round when the majority of seats are already taken. Small liberal arts schools, like Middlebury, are on the high end, which makes regular decision even more of a gamble.

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COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PLANS & THE IMPORTANCE OF ED2

We also walked through the different types of Early Action (EA) policies—regular, restrictive, and single-choice—plus how you can balance risk by applying to an ED school alongside several EA schools (as long as they’re not restrictive). If a restrictive school like Georgetown is your top choice, the strategy changes. You can’t apply ED anywhere, but you can still add as many non-restrictive EA schools as you want.

Another key point was the importance of having an ED2 backup. If your first ED school doesn’t pan out, ED2 gives you another shot before you’re thrown into the regular decision pool. The timing is tight—apply by January 1st and hear back by mid-February—but it’s worth considering.

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TEST-OPTIONAL TRENDS

We then touched on the evolving world of test-optional admissions. During COVID, many schools went test-optional, but some, like MIT and Dartmouth, studied the impact and found that SAT scores actually correlate with college success more than grades. Some schools realized going test-optional didn’t help low-income and minority students as much as they thought, which is why a lot of top colleges are bringing back test requirements. (The UC system is an exception to this trend, they’re still test-blind.)

For test-optional schools, we recommend checking out the freshman class profile. If over 75% of enrolled students submitted scores, guess what? That school probably expects scores. But if the number is closer to 25%, you can take “test-optional” more literally.

Remember: Admissions officers compare you to your peers. If you attend a well-resourced high school, they’re probably expecting to see test scores. If you come from a lower-income or under-resourced background, you’ll have more leeway.

DON’T PRESENT AS PRE-PROFESSIONAL

Finally, we discussed the importance of not coming across as too career-focused. Admissions officers see too many “well-rounded” applicants. What they want is a student who’s truly passionate about one academic area. This is why we start working with students as early as 7th or 8th grade to build a narrative around a particular discipline. A few summers of academic work in one area can really set you apart.

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Dr. Michele Hernández

CoFounder/Chief Experience Officer (CXO) at Top Tier Admissions

Michele has been featured in hundreds of newspapers, magazines, radio and television programs including Newsweek, Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, Atlantic Monthly, The Today Show, CNN, and MSNBC and is an ongoing contributor to The Huffington Post. As assistant director of admissions at Dartmouth College for four years and the academic dean of a private high school in South Florida, Michele has crafted a unique angle for assisting students in gaining admission to the most selective colleges, incorporating her “inside perspective” on the admissions adventure.

Dr. Michele Hernández has written the best-selling books: A is for Admission, The Middle School Years, Acing the College Application and Don’t Worry You’ll Get In which she wrote with Mimi Doe. Her new book on hiking all the Northeast mountains over 4000 feet is now available on Amazon.

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